Motor.



Patented lan. 2l, |902. F. E. WEL-LS.

mmm. (Application Bled Jan. 25, 1901.)

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT EECE.

FREDERIC E. VELLS, OF GREENFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

MOTOR.

SPECIFICATION forming partof Letters Patent No. 691,424, dated. January 21, 1902.

Application filed January 25, 1901. Serial No.44,671 (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, it may concern.:

Be it known that I, FREDERIC E. WELLS, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Greenfield, in the county of Franklin and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Motors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to motors, and has for its object a construction whereby water' may be forced by steam or other artificial pressure other than gravity from one tank through a motorinto another tank alternately backward and forward, whereby continuous movement may be imparted to a motor located between said tanks; and the invention consists in the construction described in the following specification and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

I am aware that steam has been applied directly to turbines as a motive force; but it has been generally with a considerable percentage of loss, and to obviate this loss I interpose between the steam-pressure and the turbine a bodyof water which may be applied to the turbine at any desired pressure, thus producing in a small compass a motor having many of the characteristics of a turbine running under a head of water which would be represented by the pressure under which the water is forced through the wheel. By the use of a relatively dense medium, like water, as compared with steam, motors of the turbine type are rendered much more effective.

In the drawings forming part of this specication, Figure lis a plan view of a construction embodying my invention, showing a portion of a steam-boiler, two tanks for containing water, a motor located in proximity thereto, and suitable pipe connections, some of the parts being broken away to more clearly illustrate the construction. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of, one of the tanks and the generator shown in Fig. 1 and showing in vertical section a pressure actuated piston whereby valves pertaining to the construction may be operated.

Referring to the drawings, ct represents a steam-boiler 5 b and c, water-tanks; d, a steampipe connected with the boiler, and e and f branches thereof which lead, respectively, to and are connected with the tanks l) and c. The ylatter are so constructed as to be able to withstand the same pressure that the boiler may be subjected to.

Located, preferably, between the tanks l) and c is a motor g, which is represented in the drawings as a turbine construction, which is the type of motor preferred, though the invention is not confined thereto, for a pistonmotor might be used instead of the form shown. The motor is preferably located near the bottom of the tanks b and @,while the steam-pipes e andf lead into the top of said tanks. A pipe h connects the two tanks l) and c close to the lower end of the latter, and from said pipe a branch rl runs 'to the inlet-pipe of the motor g. Located at the junction of the pipes h and t' is a three-Way valve'j, and located at the junction of the steam-pipe d with its branches e and f is a similar three-way valve lo. Thus it is obvious that if the valve k is so turned as to permit steam to pass through the pipes CZ and e into the toprof the tank b and that the valvely` is so turned as to allow a free passage from the tank b through the. pipe h and its branch t' to the motor g if the tank b, which is closed, be lled with water the steam-pressure applied to the top of the tank b will drive the water down through the pipe h, the valve j, and the branch 't' to the motor g. From the discharge side of the motor g a pipe l is connected into a pipe m, which is in communication with both of the tanks b and c, and at the juncture of the pipe l with the pipe m is a valve n, which, like the valves la and j, is a three-way valve. These three valves j, lo, and u are connected together, whereby when oneis moved they will all be simultaneously moved. It is thus seen that the Valves may be so arranged that while steam has free access to the tank b through the branch e the branch f will be cut od, the valve j may be so arranged as to allow water from either tank to flow through the branch c' to the inlet side of the motor, and the valve n may be so arranged as to divert the flow of the discharge either way through the pipe lm into the tank b or the tank c. way these valves are set upon'the resetting Whichever IOC of one of them to a new position all of them will be simultaneously moved. Therefore in order to etect the shifting of the pressure of steam alternately into the tanks b and c at the proper time means have been provided as follows for moving one of said valves-j, for example-which consists in prolonging the stem of said valve by means of a rod o, suitably supported and extending to the top of the tank, on the upper end of which rod is a crankp, and on the valve k is a similar crank q, these two being united by a rigid connection fr', as shown. Near the lower end of the rod o is a similar crank-arm s, connected in the same manner with another arm t on the stem of the valve/n. Any suitable means may be employed for imparting to the rod o a rocking motion, whereby said valves through their described connections may be rotated reciprocally on their axes. In the drawings a convenient means foraccomplishingthis isshown, which consists in utilizing a steam-actuated piston u, the rod of which is adj ustably connected with one arm of an elbow-lever QJ, whose opposite arm by means of a connection wis connected with a crank x, secured on said rod o. The cylinder of said piston u is provided with a steam-chest having an ordinary slide-valve y therein, the stem of which is engaged by an arm z, (see Fig. 2,) secured to the end of a rod l, which enters the tank b and is provided with a iioat 2, supported on the end ot' an arm which is secured to said rod 1. Axially opposite this rod l is a similar rod 3 in the tank c `andprovided with a float 4, similar to the float 2; but in this tank c the iioat 4 is hung in a position opposite to the ioat in the tank b. On the end of the rod 3 is an arm 5, similar to the arm z. These two arms e' and 5 engage a transversely-located pin in the stem of the slide-valve y; but the floats being hung on opposite sides of the rods on which these arms z and 5 are supported the rise of one float serves to elevate the stem of said valve y and the rise of the other oat will force said stem downward, thus at the proper time shifting the valves la, j, and n, said oat being so located in each tank as to shift the valves in one direction or the other whenever either one of the tanks becomes filled.

' Connected with the stea m-boiler ct and with one of the tanks is a pump 6, whereby water may be drawn from the tank and forced into the boiler.

It is apparent that there will be more or less condensation of steam by the water in the tanks b and c, especially until such time as this water shall attain a temperature near the boiling-point. It is desirable that the water in the tanks should be kept as hot as possible without actually reaching the boiling-point, to the end that as little of the heat contained it is inevitable that the boiler should lose a part of the water therein by condensation means are provided for returning it to the boiler.

Itis apparent that when the water from one of the tanks is being forced through the motor into the other tank the receiving-tank must be provided with a suitable vent, which is located in the top of each of the tanks b and c and is indicated by 7. This vent consiste merely in screwing a short sleeve into the top of the tank, in which sleeve is suspended a valve 8, which is suitably supported by a stem extending up into the opening in the sleeve. The tilling of the tank with water will close this valve, and after the tank has been so lled and steam is admitted the pressure of the steam will hold the valve in the vent closed; but as soon as the tank has been emptied the shutting off of the steampressure and the almost instantaneous injection of water from the other tank will cause a sufficient condensation of the steam left in the tank to cause the valve S to open, thus permitting it to fill again with water unobstructedly.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. The combination with a steam-boiler, of

two closed tanks for receiving water, a wateractuated motor between said tanks, a pipe from the boiler to each tank, pipes from the latter to the motor, valves in said steampipes, and in the pipes leading from the tanks to the motor, means operated by the movement of the water in the tanks for automatically operating said valves, whereby the steam-pressure is shifted from one tank to the other,and the iiow of water from one tank to the other is reversed without reversing the direction of its movement through the motor, substantially as described.

2. The combination with two closed tanks adapted to receive a liquid, of a pressure-generator, a pipe therefrom having branches eX- tending to and connected with said tanks, a motor, pipe connections from each tank to said motor, valves in said pipe connections, and a valve in the pipe from the generator, located at the junction of the branches thereof connections between said valves and means actuated bythe movement of water in said tanks to operate said valves, whereby pressure from the generator may be shifted from one of said tanks to the other, and the iow of water between said tanks simultaneously reversed, without changing the direction of rotation of the motor, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a pressure-generator, of two closed tanks for receiving a liquid, a motor, pipe connections from one of said tanks to the other, and from each of them to said motor, a pipe from said generator having branches extending to each tank, a valve IOO in the generator-pipe at the junction of its tanks to sim nltaneonsly effect the operation branches thereof, Valves in the connections of the Valves in said pipe connection, subbetween the tanks, and connections between stantially as described.

said Valves; a pressure-actuated piston con- FREDERIC E. WELLS. nected with one of said Valves, and means Witnesses:

connected with the valve of said piston and MARY A. ODONOGHUE,

operated by the movement of Water in said ARCHIBALD D. FLOWER. 

